snapgpt 0.1.1

A tool to create readable snapshots of your codebase

SnapGPT

SnapGPT is a command-line utility that creates a single, well-organized snapshot of your codebase. It's especially handy for sharing your project context with AI coding assistants (like ChatGPT) while keeping your code local. By default it automatically opens the snapshotted code file in Cursor so that on the ChatGPT Desktop app your code repository is 'autofocused' and you can start asking ChatGPT questions right away, no copy and pasting required. You can configure it to open in other editors as well.

SnapGPT crawls through your directories, gathers all relevant code files (based on your config and preferences), and concatenates them into one text file for easy reading or chat-pasting.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Usage
• Common Options
• Example Commands
• Configuration
• Privacy and Security
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License

Features

• Collect code from multiple directories into a single output file
• Automatically exclude certain directories (e.g., __pycache__, .git, node_modules)
• Configurable file extensions (e.g., .py, .js, .tsx) so you can include what you want
• Auto-open the snapshot in an editor of your choice (Cursor, VS Code, Windsurfer)
• Lightweight and zero external dependencies beyond a few Python libraries
• No network calls: SnapGPT does not upload your code anywhere

Installation

macOS (Recommended)

Using Homebrew:

brew install halfprice06/homebrew-tap-snapgpt/snapgpt

Using pipx (recommended for Python CLI tools):

# Install pipx if you haven't already
brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath

# Install snapgpt
pipx install snapgpt

Other Methods

Using pip (not recommended for macOS):

pip install --user snapgpt

Using a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate
pip install snapgpt

Requires Python 3.7+
Tested on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Quick Start

From your project directory, run:

snapgpt

By default, SnapGPT will:

1. Recursively scan the current directory (.)
2. Exclude folders such as __pycache__, .git, node_modules, etc.
3. Include files with extensions like .py, .js, .md, .json, and more
4. Save everything to full_code_snapshot.txt
5. Open that file in your default editor (configured in ~/.config/snapgpt/config.json)

Done! You'll see a directory tree at the top of full_code_snapshot.txt, followed by the full text of every included file.

Usage

snapgpt [options]

Common Options

• -d, --directories: List of directories to scan (default: .)
• -o, --output: Output file path (default: full_code_snapshot.txt)
• -e, --extensions: File extensions to include (e.g. -e .py .js .md)
• --exclude-dirs: Directories to exclude (e.g. --exclude-dirs .git node_modules)
• --no-open: Do not automatically open the snapshot after creation
• --editor {cursor,code,windsurfer}: Editor to open the snapshot in (overrides config)
• --set-default-editor: Set the default editor globally, then exit
• --set-default-extensions: Set the default file extensions globally, then exit
• --set-default-exclude-dirs: Set the default excluded directories globally, then exit
• --max-size: Maximum file size in MB to include (0 for no limit)
• --max-depth: Maximum directory depth to traverse (0 for no limit)
• -q, --quiet: Suppress progress and non-error messages

Example Commands

1. Scan only the src and lib directories, exclude dist:

snapgpt -d src lib --exclude-dirs dist

2. Include only Python and Markdown files, skip opening the result:

snapgpt --extensions .py .md --no-open

3. Set default editor to VS Code, then quit (no snapshot creation):

snapgpt --set-default-editor code

4. Use a max file size limit of 1 MB (1,000,000 bytes) and a max depth of 5 subdirectories:

snapgpt --max-size 1 --max-depth 5

Configuration

SnapGPT reads configuration from ~/.config/snapgpt/config.json, which is auto-created with defaults the first time you run SnapGPT.

Example config (simplified):

{
  "default_editor": "cursor",
  "file_extensions": [".py", ".js", ".ts", ".md", ".json"],
  "exclude_dirs": ["__pycache__", ".git", "node_modules", "build"]
}

You can update these values persistently using:

• snapgpt --set-default-editor [cursor|code|windsurfer]
• snapgpt --set-default-extensions .py .js .md
• snapgpt --set-default-exclude-dirs .git node_modules build

Privacy and Security

• Local Only: SnapGPT does not send your code to any external server or service. It simply reads files from your disk and consolidates them into a single text file.
• Editor Launch: If you choose to open the snapshot automatically, SnapGPT will launch your local editor. No additional code upload or syncing occurs.

Troubleshooting

1. Command Not Found

Make sure you installed SnapGPT in a directory on your PATH. Try:

pip show snapgpt

If it's not in your PATH, you may need to use python -m snapgpt ... or add the script's location to your PATH.

2. Permission Denied

On some systems, certain directories may be locked down. SnapGPT will skip unreadable directories and display a warning.

3. No Files Found

If your project has unusual file extensions, add them with --extensions .mjs .hbs or via the default config.

4. Editor Not Opening

Confirm your chosen editor (Cursor, VS Code, or Windsurfer) is installed and accessible from the command line.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! If you have ideas for new features or find a bug:

1. Fork the repo and create a branch for your changes
2. Submit a pull request with a clear explanation and relevant details
3. We'll review and merge if it aligns with the project's goals

Please ensure your code follows best practices and is well-documented.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute the code in accordance with the license terms.

Happy snapping! If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to open an issue or start a discussion.